Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• Dispatcher: 'My caller is no longer responding'
• US official wants anti-IS fight to wrap up within 14 months
• Iraq's top court invalidates Abadi's partial cabinet reshuffle
• US-backed Syrians bid to cut IS route
• 'Lone wolf' terror attacks inspired by IS to persist in West
• U.S. official sees progress against Islamic State, war continuing
• Iran's Guard clashes with Kurds, 14 dead
• Germany girds for potential spike in Islamic State attacks in Europe
• 'Let me cook you dinner': Europe's refugees find new way to integrate
• US-backed Syrian rebels move toward IS-held town near Iraq
• The Jihad Will Be Televised
• U.N. hikes 2016 humanitarian appeal to record $21.6 billion after new disasters
• Cracks show inside Islamic State's shrinking caliphate
• No change in Iran behavior in Syria since nuclear deal: U.S. official
• Iraqi court ruling hands setback to PM's reforms
• Extremism on rise in Germany: security service
• Germany sees rise in far-right violence, warns of 'terrorist structures'
• Iran appoints Guard general to lead armed forces
• Yemen counter-terrorism mission shows UAE military ambition
• Really Want to Lower Healthcare Costs? Stay Away From Your Doctor
• Bomb attack on police in Turkey's southeast kills one, injures seven -sources
• Suicide bomber kills nine at Iraq Sunni mosque: officials
• IS gone but some Fallujans shun return to 'cursed city'
• Yazidi victim demands genocide trial for IS leaders
• AP PHOTOS: Iraqi special forces share treasured possessions

Dispatcher: 'My caller is no longer responding' Posted: 28 Jun 2016 03:09 PM PDT ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Police dispatchers heard repeated gunfire, screaming and moaning from patrons of the Pulse nightclub who called to report that gunman Omar Mateen was opening fire inside the club, according to written logs released Tuesday.

US official wants anti-IS fight to wrap up within 14 months Posted: 28 Jun 2016 02:22 PM PDT The US-led fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria could be completed within 14 months, a senior US official told skeptical lawmakers Tuesday. Some 65 countries are engaged at varying levels in trying to defeat the IS group in its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria, under a campaign that began in August 2014 and was initially devised to take three years. US lawmakers, especially Republicans, have frequently blasted President Barack Obama for what they call an overly cautious approach that only takes incremental steps in ramping up the fight.

Iraq's top court invalidates Abadi's partial cabinet reshuffle Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:39 AM PDT A top Iraqi court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a parliament session in which deputies had approved a partial cabinet reshuffle, scrapping Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's clearest gain in a months-long political crisis. The judgment is a setback for Abadi's bid to replace ministers - chosen to balance Iraq's divisions along party, ethnic and sectarian lines - with technocrats. A dozen disruptive lawmakers forced nearly 200 other MPs to leave the main chamber on April 26 and vote in a separate hall to approve Abadi's appointment of five ministers as part of an anti-corruption push.

US-backed Syrians bid to cut IS route Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:06 AM PDT US-backed rebel fighters in eastern Syria said they launched an offensive on Tuesday to sever a vital supply route of the Islamic State group to neighbouring Iraq. The New Syrian Army's fighters are first aiming to cut the route before targeting Albu Kamal, a town in the oil-rich eastern Deir Ezzor province mostly held by the jihadists. IS militants seized the town and nearby border crossing in mid-2014, just as the Sunni extremist group declared a self-styled "caliphate" in territory it controlled across both Syria and Iraq.

'Lone wolf' terror attacks inspired by IS to persist in West Posted: 28 Jun 2016 11:02 AM PDT WASHINGTON (AP) — The threat of "lone wolf" acts of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State will persist in the West, a senior Obama administration official said Tuesday, even as the extremist group loses battles and territory in the Middle East.

U.S. official sees progress against Islamic State, war continuing Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:59 AM PDT By Patricia Zengerle and Yara Bayoumy WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's special envoy for the fight against Islamic State said on Tuesday that coalition forces were making progress and planning assaults on key cities in Iraq and Syria, but U.S. lawmakers criticized the progress as too slow. Brett McGurk testified at a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations hearing that morale is falling within the militant group as it loses territory. "So long as Assad is leading the government in Damascus there is no way this war will ever end," McGurk said.

Iran's Guard clashes with Kurds, 14 dead Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:51 AM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says the Revolutionary Guard has killed 11 Kurdish insurgents and lost three of its own in two days of fighting.

Germany girds for potential spike in Islamic State attacks in Europe Posted: 28 Jun 2016 10:19 AM PDT The German government voiced concern on Tuesday that Islamic State could step up attacks in Europe as it loses territory in Iraq and Syria, and said its domestic intelligence agency is training to respond to a large-scale assault. Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere welcomed gains made by a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, but said they were not diminishing the risk of attacks in Europe. "On the contrary, we fear that Islamic State will externalize, transfer its activities to Europe, especially because of military losses in the region," the minister, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic party, told reporters.

'Let me cook you dinner': Europe's refugees find new way to integrate Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:46 AM PDT Mohammad el-Khaldy puts the finishing touches on a plate of kibbeh with lentils and spinach – one of the eight courses he's prepared for guests at L'Ami Jean restaurant as part of Paris's Refugee Food Festival. Just a few years ago, as the chef traveled the common migration route from Syria to Turkey, then to Italy by boat and on to Paris, Mr. Khaldy never could have imagined he'd be using his cooking skills again. Last week's Refugee Food Festival saw a handful of Paris-based restaurants open their kitchens to visiting refugee chefs from Cote d'Ivoire, Iran, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Chechnya.

US-backed Syrian rebels move toward IS-held town near Iraq Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:38 AM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian rebels aided by U.S.-led airstrikes launched an offensive against an Islamic State stronghold near the Iraqi border on Tuesday, hoping to sever one of the extremists' main transit links between the two countries, a rebel spokesman said.

The Jihad Will Be Televised Posted: 28 Jun 2016 09:31 AM PDT In Memoirs of an Italian Terrorist, the author, who purports to have been a member of a left-wing militant group, vividly conveys the excitement and pressures of living underground as a secret operative. There are questions about the book's authenticity—the author, who identifies himself only by the pseudonym Giorgio, declares that "what I write here can't be true, it can only be truthful"—but there's a telling detail in his description of mission preparation. "I would never set out to undertake a proletarian expropriation"—a communist-inflected euphemism for a robbery—"if I didn't feel that I was dressed right."

U.N. hikes 2016 humanitarian appeal to record $21.6 billion after new disasters Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT By Megan Rowling BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The United Nations has raised its 2016 humanitarian funding appeal to a record $21.6 billion from $19.7 billion, partly due to new disasters including a cyclone that battered Fiji and an earthquake that hit Ecuador, as well as the deepening impact of El Nino. The money will go to help 95.4 million people hit hardest by conflicts and natural disasters in 40 countries, although a total of 130 million are in need of aid, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. "Underfunding jeopardizes the lives of people affected by conflict and disaster," U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien wrote in a mid-year report on humanitarian aid.

Cracks show inside Islamic State's shrinking caliphate Posted: 28 Jun 2016 08:16 AM PDT By Maher Chmaytelli and Isabel Coles ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - It was barely more than a squiggle, but the mark of a single letter sprayed overnight on a wall in the heart of Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate was a daring act of dissent. The next day, ultra-hardline Islamic State fighters came and scrubbed out the "M" -- the first letter of the word for "resistance" in Arabic -- which appeared in an alley near the Grand Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul about three weeks ago. A video of the single letter, scrawled about a meter long on the wall, was shared with Reuters by an activist from a group called "Resistance", whose members risk certain execution to conduct small acts of defiance in areas under Islamic State rule.

No change in Iran behavior in Syria since nuclear deal: U.S. official Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:58 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy in the fight against Islamic State, said on Tuesday he has seen no "significant" change in Iran's behavior in Syria under the international nuclear deal announced last July. "I have not seen a significant change in Iranian behavior ... They are primarily working to prop up the Assad regime," McGurk told a U.S. Senate hearing. He said Iran is also supporting some Shi'ite militia groups that are operating in Iraq. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Iraqi court ruling hands setback to PM's reforms Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:57 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's Supreme Court has invalidated a raucous parliament session in which six Cabinet nominees were approved, in a setback for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's reform efforts.

Extremism on rise in Germany: security service Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:41 AM PDT Political extremism rose sharply in Germany last year -- among far-right but also far-left and Islamist radical groups -- the domestic intelligence agency said Tuesday. "Extremist groups, whatever their orientation, are gaining ground in Germany," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, presenting the 2015 report. The sharp rise in racist hate crimes came as Germany took in a record number of more than one million refugees and migrants asking for political asylum, and as jihadist attacks in Paris and Brussels stoke terrorism fears in Europe.

Germany sees rise in far-right violence, warns of 'terrorist structures' Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:40 AM PDT Germany saw a sharp rise in far-right violence in 2015, a year in which it took in more than one million migrants, according to a report on Tuesday that called for concrete steps to avert the emergence of what it called "right-wing terrorist structures". The annual report prepared by Germany's domestic intelligence agency said the number of far-right violent acts jumped to 1,408 in 2015, an increase of more than 42 percent from 990 in the previous year. The report also chronicled 75 arson attacks against refugee centers in 2015, up from just five a year earlier.

Iran appoints Guard general to lead armed forces Posted: 28 Jun 2016 07:05 AM PDT TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's supreme leader has chosen a Revolutionary Guard general to serve as chief of staff of the armed forces.

Yemen counter-terrorism mission shows UAE military ambition Posted: 28 Jun 2016 06:54 AM PDT By William Maclean, Noah Browning and Yara Bayoumy ABU DHABI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates, one of Washington's closest allies in the Middle East, is deploying its military against al Qaeda in Yemen, and in the process providing what some see as a badly-needed new template for counter-terrorism in Arab lands. UAE special forces are orchestrating the hunt for al Qaeda in remote deserts and mountains, adding the capability of Arab troops seasoned in war zones like Afghanistan and Somalia to a campaign long the preserve of the U.S. and Yemeni militaries. Suicide attacks killing 38 in Mukalla on Monday show the challenge.

Really Want to Lower Healthcare Costs? Stay Away From Your Doctor Posted: 28 Jun 2016 05:30 AM PDT Or it could be something as dramatic as Doctors Without Borders relaying tough medical treatment questions about victims of terrorist violence or rare diseases in the Sudan, Iraq and other war-torn regions to a network of 280 experts around the globe. There were too many confusing questions about state regulations, which services would be covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private health insurance, and whether patients were actually receiving quality care. "Driven by faster internet connections, ubiquitous smartphones and changing insurance standards, more health providers are turning to electronic communications to do their jobs – and it's upending the delivery of health care," Beck wrote.

Bomb attack on police in Turkey's southeast kills one, injures seven -sources Posted: 28 Jun 2016 03:15 AM PDT One police officer was killed and seven people were wounded in Turkey's southeastern province of Diyarbakir on Tuesday when a bomb exploded as an armored police vehicle was passing, security sources said. The blast hit an area near a state hospital in the district of Dicle, north of the region's largest city, Diyarbakir. A police officer who suffered serious injuries died at the hospital, the sources said.

Suicide bomber kills nine at Iraq Sunni mosque: officials Posted: 28 Jun 2016 02:29 AM PDT A suicide bomber detonated explosives at a Sunni mosque near Baghdad where worshippers were gathered for prayers, killing at least nine people, officials said on Tuesday. The attack on the mosque in Abu Ghraib, which also wounded at least 28 people, took place during evening prayers on Monday as Muslims mark the holy fasting month of Ramadan. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting civilians in Iraq.

IS gone but some Fallujans shun return to 'cursed city' Posted: 28 Jun 2016 02:00 AM PDT Amriyat al-Fallujah (Iraq) (AFP) - When her five-year-old son asked her to kill him because he was too hungry, Umm Issam knew she would never come back to Fallujah if she was able to leave. Iraqi forces on Sunday wrapped up operations in Fallujah and declared the area free of jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group after a month-long operation. After more than two years under the tyrannical rule of IS and months of a siege that starved the population, Umm Issam, 42, said she thought she could never be happy in Fallujah again.

Yazidi victim demands genocide trial for IS leaders Posted: 27 Jun 2016 08:51 PM PDT Nadia Murad, a slight, soft spoken Yazidi woman from Iraq, endured a three-month nightmare as a sex slave of the Islamic State (IS) group. After her harrowing escape with the help of a fake religious ID nearly two years ago, Murad has a message for world leaders striving to crush the extremists: IS leaders must stand trial for genocide. "Genocide must be recognised," the 23-year-old told AFP through a translator in Geneva.

AP PHOTOS: Iraqi special forces share treasured possessions Posted: 27 Jun 2016 01:12 AM PDT FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) — Sgt. Ahmed Abdelaziz, with Iraq's special forces, has been almost continually deployed fighting the Islamic State group ever since the militants overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014. Now he's on the front lines of Fallujah, a city that was declared "fully liberated" on Sunday by the commander leading the fight against IS.

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